Saltes and Aiken building close relationship

Robby Boydstun

05/22/2015

Albuquerque (N.M.) defensive lineman Teton Saltes is building a relationship with Oregon defensive line coach Ron Aiken. Will it lead to an offer?

Albuquerque (N.M.) defensive lineman Teton Saltes is gaining momentum on the recruiting trail this spring. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound prospect told eDuck.com that he doesn’t have a favorite, but a few programs are sticking out in his mind, such as Oregon, Arizona State and Oklahoma.
“I really like those schools,” he said before listing a few more. “Iowa (State), with Coach (Stan) Eggen. I just got off the phone with Arkansas, Tennessee and Michigan a couple days ago. San Diego State offered me.”
A multi-sport athlete who hadn’t played football before his junior season, Saltes took to the game quickly and it will likely land him at a strong FBS program. Defensive line coach Ron Aiken at Oregon has certainly taken notice and the two have started to develop a strong player-coach-like bond.
“We’re definitely building a pretty close relationship,” he said. “He just talked to me about getting back surgery so he unfortunately wasn’t able to come out and see me in person, but I give him calls and we chat.”
Over the course of their conversations, Saltes learned what Aiken likes about his game.
“He loves how athletic I am,” he said. “Obviously my height. He loves how quick I am off the ball and especially how raw I am since it’s been my first year playing. Basically, he likes that he’ll be able to mold me to whatever he prefers and basically said the sky is the limit for me.”
The Ducks did end up evaluating Saltes recently in New Mexico and the big man was surprised that Oregon wasn’t so much interested in his playing ability as much as other factors.
“They’ve seen my film and they’re not concerned about that,” Saltes said. “What they really want to know is what type of person I am. My personality and things like that.”
Currently, Saltes reports a 3.7 grade point average, showing that he’s getting it done in the classroom as well as on the gridiron. Given that Oregon often takes its time before offering prospects, Saltes is hopeful his name will be called eventually.
“I’m waiting for that,” he said. “Hopefully they’ll offer soon.”